Social Media Is Nothing New

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Plus, the millions of people there aren't randomly scattered; at any given time they've sorted themselves into a multitude of conversations. Despite the size of the gathering, those conversations are easy to find using simple search tools. And you can limit those you join based on a specific geographic footprint, from your hometown to the global village.

Then there's the networking. When you meet someone in the digital social media world, you gain access to an entire Rolodex of people they know. You can introduce yourself to others in their network, or ask your new acquaintances to make introductions for you. Most of the time they'll be happy to do so.

As with any gathering of people, the conversations are continually evolving. But the key is that they're always going on. All you need to do to benefit from them is show up, and be yourself (using the same good judgment that you'd use in the analog world, of course—see "The Cocktail Party Test for Advertising." If you can spend several hours there at a time, that's great. If you can only afford to drop in for a few minutes twice a week, that's O.K., too. The key is to become a part of the flow. The rest will take care of itself based on your interests, talents, offerings, and contributions.

Help Your Company Grow

Twitter probably fits the cocktail party analogy best, whereas Facebook may be more like a reunion (swap stories, share photos, etc.), and LinkedIn might be more like a job fair or convention (I'd welcome reader comments on the most appropriate metaphors for each). But all three—and dozens of other social media sites—share the same exponential advantages the digital dimension provides.

Some pundits still snipe at social media, passing judgment from the outside looking in. To them, social media looks like a waste of time. Well, no one ever accused me of being an early adopter, and personally I hate cocktail parties (the analog kind). But since I've entered the digital social media world I've not only met some terrific people, I've found new ways to help my company grow. And I've enjoyed it quite a bit.

If you're still wondering whether social media is for you, recognize that you've been participating in it all along. It may simply be that you need to add the digital component to your analog efforts. You may be a little nervous at first, but log on, listen in, find someone that looks interesting, and strike up a conversation. Before long, you'll be having a grand—and profitable—time.

Steve McKee is president of McKee Wallwork Cleveland Advertising and author of the book When Growth Stalls: How It Happens, Why You're Stuck, and What to Do About It. Find him on Twitter @WhenGrowthStall and LinkedIn.

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